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Lou Williams did not have much fun in Atlanta after signing as a free agent.

He expects that to change now that he is a Raptor, having been acquired recently in a deal with the Hawks, along with rookie centre Lucas Nogueira in a cost-cutting move by Atlanta.

“For both sides, moving forward, it wasn’t going to work,” Williams told a small contingent of media in Toronto on Friday.

“It’s been very delightful just being around these guys. We had (a Raptors team) dinner in Vegas. They are hungry, they want to be respected, they want people to take them seriously. I love a great challenge, I love playing with guys who want to be challenged, who want to be great.

“I’ve never played with any of these guys, so I’m just excited to be around all of them.”

Williams, who spent his first seven seasons with the Philadelphia Sixers, knows only Kyle Lowry, who he has often worked out with in Lowry’s native Philadelphia, and Amir Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough, who he met at the 2005 McDonald’s All-American game.

Johnson and Williams were among the last NBAers ever drafted straight out of high school (Williams went 45th overall, Johnson 56th).

The back-court is crowded, but Williams — who can play either guard position and averaged about 14 points and 3.5 assists in the four seasons before tearing his ACL — should power what again should be one of the NBA’s best reserve units.

Williams called his injury-shortened second season in Atlanta “definitely one of the most difficult seasons that I’ve had,” because he did not have a proper off-season of work as he recovered and never quite felt like himself.

“I’m a guy who prides himself on how he prepares for the season. I didn’t have the opportunity to do that. To be in practice with my teammates. I just felt like the whole season I was playing catchup,” Williams said.

“But I look forward to the new opportunity being here in Toronto, being with the new group of guys.

“I feel like I’m close (to his previous form). Just getting that confidence, being explosive going to the rim.”

Williams said he was told to come off the bench, “bring a ton of energy and score the basketball.”

He believes the Raptors, justifiably, will come into the season with high expectations.

“Based on the season that they had last year, based on what I can bring to the table, I feel like being in the playoffs isn’t enough to this group and they feel the same way,” he said.

“I don’t want to be the new guy and make all these expectations, but we definitely expect to be successful.”

Then, he pointed to some of the overachieving Sixers teams he played on and channelled Raptors global ambassador Drake.

“I’ve been on some teams that started from the bottom and created some good opportunities for themselves, so, I feel that’s what I bring to the table.”

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Lou Williams ready to bring it to Raptors

Lou Williams did not have much fun in Atlanta after signing as a free agent.

He expects that to change now that he is a Raptor, having been acquired recently in a deal with the Hawks, along with rookie centre Lucas Nogueira in a cost-cutting move by Atlanta.

“For both sides, moving forward, it wasn’t going to work,” Williams told a small contingent of media in Toronto on Friday.

“It’s been very delightful just being around these guys. We had (a Raptors team) dinner in Vegas. They are hungry, they want to be respected, they want people to take them seriously. I love a great challenge, I love playing with guys who want to be challenged, who want to be great.

“I’ve never played with any of these guys, so I’m just excited to be around all of them.”